Finding Yourself in the Dark? Noire Dishes Out Insight this Fall

Noire at Award Winning Spectrum on One Wages an Assault on the Senses with Blind Dining to Benefit Sightsavers

DUBAI, UAE, 22 July, 2013: Scent. Touch. Taste. Sound. These four senses play a leading role in our everyday lives, especially when it come to this city’s most enjoyable and sought after past time – the dinner experience. But what about sight? According to recent research conducted at Oxford University, in an increasingly visually dominated world, our eyes lead the way when it comes to eating, while our tongues (and other senses) merely follow. Based on these findings and teaming up with Sightsavers, an international charity helping the blind in developing countries, Noire at Spectrum on One invites guests to step into the dark with an insightful experience with a difference – blind dining

Starting on Friday 6 September and available every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening onwards, this intriguing experience will turn the old saying of ‘first (visual) impressions count’ entirely on its head by encouraging guests to re evaluate their perceptions through a different thought process. Participants will experience a complete loss of vision for 1 ½ hours and will put their trust in the hands of executive chef Lorraine Sinclair. "So much of our opinions of taste are influenced by how a dish is presented, even before we’ve taken a bite," says Sinclair, adding, "whereas plating [during normal circumstances] is fundamentally important from the guest perspective, everything is thrown out of balance at Noire with textures, smells, flavour combinations and even sounds taking precedence."

Noire is the New Black

Noire at Spectrum on One features a fully fitted and blackened out restaurant setting, aptly suited for this new nocturnal pursuit. From an operational point of view, servers will don state of the art night vision goggles to help guide their way throughout the restaurant, and to assist diners with their multi sensory experience. According to Cameron Petrelli, Assistant Manager, "Not only is the food [and its presentation] under visual wraps, but other elements are also removed, including the general ambience of the restaurant, décor, table setting, China and flatware as well as people gazing, of which the latter is sometimes considered almost as important in Dubai as the meal itself."

The Blind Side

Noire fundamentally throws into question peoples’ dependency on sight alone, pulling them out of their comfort zones and forcing them to rely on other senses to help assemble visual cues of what’s in front of them. It is in this vein that the Noire at Spectrum on One teamed up with Sightsavers, an organization that works in more than 30 developing countries for the restoration of sight, the prevention of blindness and its advocacy. Responding to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s recent findings that visual disabilities are a growing threat around the world, with an estimated 161 million visually impaired people, of which close to 40 million are blind, AED 27 from each dinner experience will be donated to Sightsavers. The impact of this contribution is considerable. For example, a blind dinner for two can effectively prevent blindness by funding surgery for a cataract sufferer in India, while the proceeds of one dinner alone can provide essential nutritional support and education on River Blindness for a child in Ghana. Guests will also have the option to receive email correspondence about the recipient that their contribution has benefited or the projects that are being funded abroad.

Cliff Notes

Noire at Spectrum on One is available every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening from 7:30pm – 10pm, beginning from Friday 6 September onwards. Priced at AED 325, this 1 ½ hour dinner includes a three course menu with paired beverages, and a reception [in the light] to discuss the featured menu with the chef and restaurant manager. AED 27 of the proceeds from each dinner will be donated to Sightsavers. The evening is limited to 30 persons, to ensure an exclusive and personalized experience. Guests will be led to their table in a private restaurant setting that is cloaked in complete darkness, escorted by servers with night vision goggles. Any allergies or dietary restrictions will be noted beforehand. For more information or to take a reservation, contact +971 4 311 8316, dbi.fbconcierge@fairmont.com, twitter.com/FairmontDubai, and facebook.com/TheFairmontDubai

SIGHTSAVERS MIDDLE EAST

Sightsavers is a registered UK charity that works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people with disabilities. A few known facts – There are 39 million blind people in the world; 80% of all blindness can be prevented or cured. In the six decades since its foundation, Sightsavers has supported over 262.5 million treatments for blinding and potentially blinding conditions, carried out over 8.1 million operations to restore sight, trained almost 0.5 million primary eye care workers, and provided rehabilitation training to 123,000 blind or low vision beneficiaries. For more information, please visit www.sightsavers.org

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a celebrated collection of more than 60 luxury properties around the globe, including Shanghai's Fairmont Peace Hotel, The Plaza in New York, and Makkah Clock Royal Tower in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The luxury brand's distinctive hotels offer a sense of heritage and sophistication, warm, engaging service and culturally rich experiences. A community and environmental leader, Fairmont is also recognized internationally for its responsible tourism practices and award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with over 100 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel branded luxury private residences club, whole-ownership residences and serviced residences properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit fairmont.com.